Double Digits

It’s the big 1-0 for Jaclyn today! So happy we got to celebrate with her.

We started out with lunch at Cheesecake Factory and her absolute favorite food - even better than chicken nuggets!! - Miso Salmon.

Our plan was to go to 🎯 and let her pick out her own gifts, which she was excited about. But Build A Bear Workshop was just around the corner from Cheesecake… 

and they had her favorite Pokemon, Sylveon… 

I thought Jac was too old for Build A Bear but obviously I was very, very wrong. (Prices have gone waaaaay up since the last time we were there. Worth it for happy Jackie, but wow.)

Chocolate cake, laser-printed axolotls (she still loves them), Battleship and a walk to the corner store with Pop* rounded out the day. Happy 10, Jaclyn!

* a daily event so they can both get a snack (and bring me one)…

Boring Jackie

Poor Jac had to go places with us today… 

 Yard art zebra followed us home from Rooster’s Relics. 

lunch in Valencia… 

 Added to my glass/lead crystal plant holders. So pretty!

a couple of (very cool) thrift stores…

Rooster’s Relics in Valencia, part metal art, part thrift/vintage and very very cool

She had her phone plus a battery pack to watch movies; 

Axolotl painting kit from Target - $5 well spent.

the second store had a dog for her to pet; 

and she got McDonald’s on the way home. I feel bad for her, don’t you? 😜

 Sparkly pipe cleaners, paint and a full bottle of glue. Love her creativity.

She also made art while I planned a new quilt (and Pop went to a movie)

 Antique (almost) fabric from my stash

and Coco figured out how her new toy works. 

All in all, a very nice day.

Friends At Last

Jac said I had to tell everyone that she and Coco are now friends. 

 New BFF’s

Coco is skittish around new people so no surprise that she pretty much vanished while Marie, Leo and Jac were all here. It’s been 2 days since M & L left and this morning Coco didn’t run when Jac sat near her on the bed. Ten minutes later, Jac moved a little closer… another 10 minutes and she slooooooowly reached over and started petting Coco. Jac was thrilled!

Stalking the new toy

Coco’s not much interested in treats - she’s ignored everything we’ve tried except her nightly Churu - so it’s hard to bribe her to allow pets or to come when she’s called. She also doesn’t much care for cat toys, although this one got her attention for a few minutes. Sooner or later we’ll find something she likes… I hope! 

Jac In The House

Jac’s here! 

Pop picked Marie, Leo and Jac up from the airport Saturday evening, then took Marie and Leo* back Monday night. 

Jac’s staying for about 5 weeks and we’ve already started partying. 

We’ve done art, talked, played computer games, listened to Jac talk, watered outdoor plants, caught a lizard(!) and talked a bunch more. 

We have plans for Jac’s birthday on Sunday, are visiting the Queen Mary and Long Beach Aquarium Wednesday and Thursday, then the Santa Barbara Zoo the following week. That leaves 3 more weeks to fill with FUN. 

I thought this was the first lizard Jac had caught but look what popped up in my Facebook memories from the same day in 2023. She’s a lizard wrangler! So funny. 

* Bad grandma - I didn’t get a single picture over the weekend, and Pop forgot to take any when he took the girls to the beach on Monday. Oops!

One, Two, Three

One…

Two…

Three!

21.75 x 21.75”

Except for yesterday’s fabric chicken drama, this Red-Shouldered Hawk went together surprisingly easily. I really like the ‘chaos’ of the feathers, especially since it meant there were very few seams that needed to match up. 

The patterns for the last two birds are cut, folded, color-coded and ready to sew. We’re almost done!

Fabric Chicken

Fabric Chicken: will a piece of fabric (it’s from the stash, there is no more…) cover all the pattern pieces or will it run out with inches to go. 

The upside of adding stash fabrics to Birdwatcher patterns is more texture and interest - the kit’s solid colors are pretty but kinda flat. The downside? When it’s gone you sure better have a Plan B! 

We’ll call this one a draw win since there were enough tiny scraps to sew together to make it work. 

 That’s all, folks!

But it was so, so close!

Red-Shouldered Hawk wing

One of my air plants flowered! 

I’ve never seen one bloom before. I wonder if the flowers open one at a time or if multiple can open at once. 

There's lots of buds so hopefully I’ll find out soon. 

Whose Eye?

Only 4 pieces left to make on the 3rd from last Birdwatchers bird. Can you tell which one it is?

They all pretty much look alike at this ⬆️ point. Hoping to attach fabric to the last four pattern pieces tonight and sew (or at least start sewing) it together tomorrow.